By Football Correspondent. and Agencies. The stage is set for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League knockout phase after the round of 16, quarter-final, and semi-final draws were conducted on Friday. The draw has created several mouth-watering matchups that promise to captivate football fans worldwide.. Real Madrid will face off against Atlético de Madrid in a highly anticipated Spanish derby. This match promises intense rivalry and drama as two of Spain’s top teams clash.. The French champions Paris Saint-Germain will host Liverpool in another blockbuster tie. Both teams have shown strong form this season, making this a must-watch encounter.. A German derby awaits as Bayern München takes on Bayer Leverkusen. This match could be crucial for both teams’ ambitions in the competition.. Other notable ties include PSV vs Arsenal, Club Brugge vs Aston Villa, Benfica vs Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund vs Lille, and Feyenoord vs Inter Milan.. Quarter-Final Draw. The quarter-finals have been mapped out with intriguing pairings:. Paris Saint-Germain/Liverpool will face Club Brugge/Aston Villa.. PSV/Arsenal will take on Real Madrid/Atlético de Madrid.. Benfica/Barcelona faces Borussia Dortmund/Lille.. Bayern München/Leverkusen meets Feyenoord/Inter Milan.. These matches promise to be intense battles with no clear favorites emerging yet.. Semi-Final Draw. The semi-finals are also set:. The winners of PSV/Arsenal/Madrid/Atleti will meet Paris/Liverpool/Club Brugge/Aston Villa.. Benfica/Barcelona/Dortmund/Lille faces Bayern/Leverkusen/Feyenoord/Inter.. This setup ensures that only the strongest teams make it to the final stages.. INFOGRAPHIC/UEFA. All eyes are now fixed on Munich as these matches unfold. The Allianz Arena awaits the finalists for what promises to be an electrifying conclusion to the tournament on May 31st. With so many talented teams still in contention, predicting a winner is challenging at this stage.. As clubs navigate these critical rounds, fans can expect thrilling football filled with drama and skillful play from some of Europe’s best players. Whether it’s a historic comeback or a dominant performance by one team over another, every match counts as each side strives for glory in Munich.. The clubs were paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8).. The clubs in each seeded pair were drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winner of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position was determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.. Four bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of each pair of seeded teams placed in the corresponding marked bowls according to the league rankings.. The draw allocated the side of the bracket for all the seeded teams, starting with the teams ranked 7/8 and finishing with the teams 1/2.. One ball was taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 7 and 8) and was opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl was placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket. The other seeded team of the pairing was then drawn and displayed, and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the blue side of the bracket.. The same procedure was carried out with the remaining seeded teams.. In principle, the seeded clubs play the return leg at home.. The draw was made to determine the order of the matches (i.e. which team will host the first leg and which team the return leg) as all the potential opponents are known until the final.. INFOGRAPHIC/UEFA. Four bowls were prepared for this draw, two for the silver side of the bracket and two for the blue side of the bracket. Each bowl contained two balls representing the winners of the round of 16 matches from one rung of the relevant side of the bracket, with the first silver bowl containing slips of paper marked ‘Winners R16 1’ and ‘Winners R16 2’ and the second silver bowl ‘Winners R16 3’ and ‘Winners R16 4’.. The first bowl on the blue side contained slips of paper marked ‘Winners R16 5’ and ‘Winners R16 6’ and, finally, ‘Winners R16 7’ and ‘Winners R16 8’ in the second bowl on the blue side.. The draw started by shuffling and then drawing the balls placed in the first bowl of the silver side of the bracket.. The first ball drawn from this bowl indicated the team which will play the first match of the quarter-final at home, and the second ball the team which will play the return leg at home.. The procedure was repeated with the remaining bowls to complete the quarter-final pairings.. Two bowls were prepared for this draw, one for the silver side of the bracket with balls containing slips of paper marked ‘Winners Q-F 1’ and ‘Winners Q-F 2’, and one for the blue side of the draw containing ‘Winners Q-F 3’ and ‘Winners Q-F 4’.. The draw started by shuffling and then drawing the balls placed in the bowl for the silver side of the bracket. The first ball drawn indicated the team which will play the first match of the silver side semi-final at home, and the second ball the team which will play the return leg at home.. The procedure was repeated with the remaining bowl to complete the semi-final pairings.. As the teams were designated to a side of the bracket by the draw for the knockout phase play-off / round of 16, no draw was made for the final. The winners of the semi-final on the silver side of the bracket are designated as the nominal home team for the final.
